Threshold weather strip



June 8, 1937. w. B. BAILEY THRESHOLD WEATHER STRIP Filed Nov, 11. 1935 ssheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

MEF/fm 5%. @a BY j ATTORNEY June 8, 1937. w. B. BAILEY 2,083,421

THRESHOLD WEATHER STRIP Filed Nov. 11, 1935 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ln i*127.17 y' Tg-rm;

Vl@ El@ BY ATTORNEY INVENToR.

Fatented dune .1937

. y sesam .'rnansnonn wanna saam 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in threshold weather strips foruse in preventing drafts beneath a door bottom and threshold andexcluding clust, rain, snow, light.vetc., and particularly to avertically movable strip which is projected downward to an operativeposition for contact with the threshold when the door is closed andraised to an inoperative position when the door is opened.

1o One object of the invention is to provide a neat and attractiveccnstructionof automatically operating strip which is applicable toeither the inner or outer face of the door or to bottom grooves ofdoors, which is so mounted as to be i5 raised quickly at the moment ofopening of the door and lowered at the moment of closing of the door soas to avoid rubbing friction between the strip and door surface at allother times in the opening and closing movements of the door.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip which willautomatically accommodate itself to unevenness of surfaces of thresholdstrips and variations in the distance between a threshold strip andbottom edge of the door, and which may additionally be manually adjustedto compensate for any extraordinary variations of such character whichmay occur in making an installation.'

A still further object of the invention is to provide a strip which isapplicable with equal faciiity to right or left hand outwardlyy orinwardly swinging hinged house and doors of other buildings, includingordinary swinging doors, double action doors, wood vor metal and metalframe doors, and doors of the accordion type such as used on garages,lubricatingrooms of automobile service stations, store fronts, etc.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an automaticthreshold strip for doors which 49 is simple of construction, reliableand efficient in use, not liable to easily get out of order, and whichmay be installed and kept in proper service condition atacomparatively-low cost'.

With these and other objects in view, the in- '45 vention consists ofthe features of construction,

combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described andclaimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in

whichz- 50 Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the application of theinvention upon the inner side of a door.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

`-55 Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the ap- (Cl. 20u63)plication -of'the invention to the outer side of a door.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line ell-i of Fig. 3. l

Fig. 5 is a detail view looking toward the hing- 5 ing jamb of the doorframe and the hinging edge of the door structure illustrated in Figs. 3and 4, showing parts of the invention mounted thereon.

Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal-section through the strip holder andparts of the door, showing 10 the strip in its inoperative or retractedposition.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the strip in itsl projected position.

Fig. B is a cross-section on line oi Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the strip actuis ating contact or deviceemployed in the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figs. 10 to 12., inclusive, are sections illustrating the movements ofthe strip actuating contact shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 9 in the movements20 of the door.

Fig. 13 is aview showing the application of the invention to a doorhaving a bottom groove in which the threshold strip is mounted.

Fig. 14 is a cross-section on line i-lli of 25 Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a view'of one of the strip retainers used therein.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary view showing a contact for use on a doorsection Aof an accordion or 30 multiple section door' for actuating thestrip on another door section.

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary view showing the use of an adjustable contactfor use particularly on doors hung on metal frames. 35

Fig. 18 is a view of the contact shown in Fig. 17. Referring now moreparticularly to Figs. 1 and 3 to 12, inclusive, l designates av doorframe having a threshold 2 and on which is mounted a hinged door 3. 4@

On the innerside of this door, adjacent to the bottom edge thereof, ismounted a channeled sheet metal casing f, preferably formed of va foldedpiece of sheet metal, said casing being open at its bottom and ends andclosed at its top and secured to the door by fastening screws 5.Disposed within this casing is a similarly formed sheet metal stripholder 6, in which is fitted the threshold strip 'i of felt, rubber or acombinationof these materials, or other suitable flexible or .resilientmaterial. This strip 'E projects at its lower edge below the holder 5and, as shown in the present instance, is removably and adjustablysecured within the holder by providing the walls of the latter withindented projections entering the body of the` strip. These indentedprojections serve tohold the strip securely in place, but allow thewalls of the holder to be bent outward to wlth'draw the indentations 5from engagement with the strip when desired,

so that an old and worn out strip may be removed and another substitutedin its place or so that the strip may be adjusted in the holder andsecured so as to be positioned to suit variations l0 in the distancebetween the threshold and bottom edge of the door, whereby the strip maybe arranged to make a' proper sealing contact when projected between thethreshold' and door regardless of variations in distance betweenthebottom edge of the door and portions of the threshold throughout thelength of the latter.

`'I'he strip and its holder are vertically movable in the casing so asto be projected downwardly to an operative position and moved upwardlyor withdrawn to an inoperative position. To this end, the holder 5 ispivotally connected, as at 5, to the free ends of a pair ot swinginglinks or levers I0, the opposite ends of which levers are pivotallymounted by pivot members II on the casing. The latter-named ends of thelevers are also pivotally connected above and in line with the pivotsII, as at I2, to an actuating plunger rod. bar or strip I3 which ismovable in opposite directions to transmit motionto the links to projectand retract the strip. The links or levers Il are so mounted andproportioned that a comparatively small range of movement ofY theplunger I3 will result in a relatively greater range of movement of thefree ends of the links or levers, so that on an opening movement oi.'the door the threshold strip will be quickly retracted from an operativeto an inoperative position, while upon a closing movement of the door,and upon actuating motion being applied to the plunger, a quickprojection of the strip will be eilected at-the moment of closing oi'the door, but not before, by which means projection of the strip inextremes of movement oi the door will be prevented and the contact oithe strip with-the floor surface avoided so as to prevent undue wearthereon. In order to adapt the strip to be moved upwardly withoutinterference to a fully retracted position, the upper edge of theholder' is provided with notches or recesses Il to receive and engagethe pivot vmembers II, whereby' a locking connection is also formed topreventl longitudinal shifting of the parts when in retracted position.It will be noted that the pivotal connections 8 between the strip holderand the links I0l are arranged on one side of the transverse center ofsaid holder and strip, whereby the strip is adapted to independentlytilt vertically on said pivotal connections as a fulcrum to adapt thestrip to adjust itself into equal sealing engagement at allpoints withthe threshold when projected downwardly into contact therewith, wherebywhen the door is moved to closed position undue frictionalengagementbetween the strip and threshold will be avoided and the strip05 accurately and uniformly brought intosealing relation with thethreshold.

The casing. strip and plunger extend across the door approximately thei'ull width thereof, and the plunger is connected at its end adjacentthe hinge edge of the door with an actuating arm I 5 resting on andmovable in guiding engagement with a guide member I5, which may compriseone of the fastening screws 5. Carried by this arm I5 is a guide pin orspindle I'I slidably engaging a 75 gulde'member I5 on the casing, anddisposed a contact member adapted to be engaged by the arm I5 when thedoor is closed to transmit strip projecting motion tothe plunger at themoment of closing movement oi' the door. contact member comprises aplate 25 mounted intermediate of its ends upon a pivot member 2| whichmay be in the form of a staple securing This a bracket plate 22 tosaidhinging lamb. ThisA construction of the contact member or plate 25provides a plate having oppositely extending arms 23 and 25, providing acontact member capable of application to either jamb of the' door framefor use as a contact member whether the door is hinged either to theright hand or left hand jamb of the door, in which uses the arms 23 and2l may serve alternately as contact arms engaged respectively by thestrip plunger I 5 and the door or by inverting the contact member thearm 23 may be arranged to engage the plunger contact 4I5 and arm 24 thehinged edge ot the door in the mounting ot .the door on `either doorjamb, Il' desired, a contact screw 24a may be applied to the hinged edgeof the door to provide an adjustable contact member for engagement witharm 24, said screw being adjustable to take up any slack in looseinstallations between the arm 24 and hinged edge of the door. Thebracket plate 22 is provided with a laterally projecting and angularlydisposed stop and wear projection 25 and is likewise reversible so thatsaid projection 25 may cooperate either with the arm 23 or the arm 25 inthe use of one or the other as a plunger contact arm. In the exampleshown yin Figs. 1, 2, and 9 to l2,

inclusive, in which the arm 23 is-the plungerengaged arm and the arm 25is adapted to be engaged by the hinged edge oi' the door, the

' projection 25 is disposed in the path oi' outward hinging jamb of thedoor frame. 'Ihe object inV this action of part 25 is`to properlydisposethe contact member 20, during a door opening movement, for action on theplunger arm I5 on a door closing movement. The projection 25 preferablyseats within a beveled recess 25 formed in the hinging jamb, so as toadapt the contact 20 to be4 brought to the proper angular position. Byreference to Figs. 10 to 12, inclusive, the action of the contact 2liwill be readily understood. When the door is closed, as shown in Hg. l2,the contact 2li, which is at this time in strip projecting position,4lies parallel with the hinged edge of the door. When the door is swungopen, at which time plunger I5 is in en gagement with arm 23, thepressure oi' the plunger on said arm causes the contact 2l to swingfreely on its pivot 2|, in which action arm 23 moves away from theplunger arm` I5 and-comes in contact with stop 25, whereby the contactmember is releasedquickly from ening, engages the contact arm 2t, as a.result of which, in the nal closing movement of the door,

the contact member 2@ is swung to the position lo shown in Fig. 12 fromthat shown in Fig. 11, thus bringing contact arm 28 into engagement withthe plunger arm i5, whereby the threshold strip is projected at themoment of closing of the door.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of thestrip, it will be seen that as long as the door is open and the arm itis out of engagement with the contact member 2d, the threshold stripwill be held raised 20 or withdrawn to an inoperative position by thereaction of the spring l, but that in the swinging movement of the doorto closed position, and at the time when the free edge of the door movesinto engagement with the threshold, the outer 25 end of the plunger armi5 will be brought into engagement with arm 23 of the contact member 2t,with the result that in the ilnal closing movement of the door theplunger rod will be actuated to quickly project the strip intoengagement with 30 the threshold. In its projecting movement, it will beunderstood, the strip is forced downward in a substantially straightvertical path by the action of the plunger and motion transmittinglinks, but it is permitted by reason of the ar- 35 rangement of itspivotal connections with the links, to tilt vertically on said pivotalconnections and link as -a fulcrum,V so as to automatically adjustitself to irregularities in the level of diierent portions of thethreshold, if such be present, eo that undue wear of the `strip will beavoided and the strip will automatically seat itself into snug sealingengagement with the threshold. The strip when in operative position willefectualiy close the joint or space between the lower edge of the doorand the threshold against passage of drafts of air or dust and entranceof rain, snow, or foreign elements of any kind between ythe door andthreshold. ln the mounting 'of the door on the door frame to swingoutwardly instead of inwardly, a contact plate 2l may be employed inplace of the contact member, said plate being secured to the hingingjamb of the door frame adjacent its outer 'face by means of a fasteningscrew 253 and a combined fastening and contact screw 2Q, the latterserving to engage the outer end of the arm it to actuate the plunger ISwhen the door is closed and being adjusted so that a nicety of contactaction can be obtained.

Fig. 1 particularly shows the application of the invention to the innerside or face of the door 3 but, if desired, and as shown in Fig. 3, thestrip may be applied to the outer side or face of the door, whichvariations in arrangement may be made without alteration of thestructure in any particular, and in either of these applications thecontact 2@ or contact 21 may be employed accordingly as the door ismounted on the doorframe to swing inwardly or outwardly. 'I'hese partsare also interchangeable in arrangement and for use whether the door ishinged to the ri-ght hand or left hand jamb of the door frame. Themovements of' the strip between inoperative and operative positions isshown in Fig. 7, from which an understanding of the capability of thelstead of upon the door fram'e.

strip to tilt to adjust itself to the threshold will be readilyunderstood.

'I'he threshold strip, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, is also applicableto a door having a bottom groove or slot 30 to receive it and in whichit is movably mounted. This groove or slot extends the full width of thedoor and is of equal depth and width throughout its length. At the endof the groove or slot opening through the hinged edge oi the door theend ofthe plunger arm is exposed for engagement with the closing contacton the hinging jamb of the door frame. The strip holder or casing isretained in position within the groove or slot by retaining elements 3|secured to the hinging and swinging edges of the door. Each of theseretaining elewith spaced projections v35 extending into the y ends ofthe door groove or slot and above the upper and lower surfaces of thetop wall of the casing t to support said casing and the strip in saiddoor groove or slot.

The threshold strip is also applicable for use on revolving doors ormultiple doors, that is, doors of the accordion type composed ofsections hinged to each other and to a j'amb of the door frame, in whichcase a threshold strip is applied to the bottom of each door section.With such an arrangement, a strip closing contact for actuating thestrip on the door section hinged to the jamb of the doorframe will beactuated bya contact member on the hinging jamb. as previouslydescribed, whilea special contact member will be provided upon the freeedge of each door section for actuating the strip upon another doorsection hinged thereto. This special form of contact member may be ofthe type shown in Fig. 16, in which thefree edge of a door section 3a isshown as provided with a contact member 3 for actuating the plunger ofthe threshold stripupon another door section 3b hinged to said free edgeof said section 3a. This contact memher 36 may be of suitable structureand mounted within the casing of the threshold strip on the door section3a. As shown in the present instance, the contact 3d may be adjustableso that it may be properly positioned for use, being provided forthis'purpose with a slot @l receiving a fastening screw or other element38 securing it in place. By such arrangement of threshold strips uponthe door sections and the provision of actuating contacts as described,the threshold strips upon all the door sections may be simultaneouslyoperated, as will be readily understood.

The threshold strip may be applied to metallic doors and door frames inany of the ways described. It may be found desirable, however, where thedoor frame is made of metal and the door of either wood or metal, toprovide a special type of contact to be mounted on the door in- Acontact member 39 of this type yis shown in Figs. 17 and 18, whichcontact member is of bell crank form vand comprises a contact arm 40 anda pivot arm di, the latter having perforated ears d2 bent outwardiytherefrom to receive an adjusting and fastening screw 43 whereby saidcontact memv ber is pivotally mounted on the door or the strip casing toswing upward and toward and from the free end of the plunger arm il.This contact member is arranged so that as the door closes arm l0 willbe swung toward the plungeriarm to force the same inwardly and therebycommunicate'motion to the threshold' strip to project the same.Preferably arm 40 is U-shaped to form a body portion a integral with thearm `'Il and a contact portion or limb b integral at its lower end withthe lower end of the portion 4| and'forming an adjustable contactplate.-

This plate is adjustable with relation to portion 40a by means of awedge piece c slidably held between parts 40a. I Ilb so that the contactplate maybe adjusted to compensate for varying disf tances between thedoor frame and door due to warpingof the door or other causes. Such atype of contact may in some cases be used on the door frame instead ofon the door as will be readily understood. Any other suitable type ofcontact for this purpose may be employed according to conditions of use,so that by the provision of special contacts and retainers, some ofwhich are particularly disclosed, the threshold strip,

without change in the construction of the strip itself, may be appliedto all types of doors made of wood, metal or composite materials.

If desired, a supplemental spring means may be provided to" act ontheend of the plunger Il at `the swinging edge of the door to assist1 thespring I! in retracting the strip holder 6 and strip 1. This comprisesa-stem i1' slidable at one end in a guide member i8' fastened in placeas by'one or more of the screws i, said stem bearing at its .Oppositeend against the adjacent end of the plunger I3. A coiled spring i9disposed about the stembetween the member Il and plunger I3 .actsthereon to assist spring Il in raising the strip bottom edge-of thefdooragainst passage of drafts of air, rain, snow, and other material. Whilethe structural organization shown is preferred, it will, of course, beunderstood that this is merely exempliflcative and that changes in theform, construction, andarrangement of the parts-within the scope of theappended -claims may be made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any ofthe advantages of the, invention.

-What I claim iszb 1. In a threshold strip for'doors a casing on thedoor, a strip vertically movable in said casing, a plunger mounted forlongitudinal movement in the* casing to project the strip for use,spring actuated means connecting the plunger with the casing fornormally maintaining the strip and plunger in retracted position,pivotal connections between the strip and plunger for transmittingmotion to the former from the latter, and a pivoted contact on the doorframe having a door engaging portion on,l one side of its pivot and aplunger engaging portion on the other side of its pivot for successiveengagement with the door and plunger on a closing movement of the door.

2. The combination with a door frame and door, of a threshold stripmounted for vertical movement on the door, a plunger mounted on thedoor, connecting means between the strip and plunger for actuating the.former from the latter, spring means for normally maintaining the stripand plunger in retracted position, and a pivotally mounted contactmember on the door frame adapted to be engaged'by the door on itsclosing movement and to be thereby moved into the path ofthe plunger foractuating the plunger at the final point of the door closing movement.3. Thev combination with a door frame and a door, of a threshold strip'mounted for vertical movement on the door,'a plunger mounted on thedoor, connecting means between the plunger and strip for operating thelatter from the former,l

spring means for normally maintaining the plunger and strip in retractedposition, and la swinging contact element on the door frame engageablelsuccessively 'by the door and plunger for actuating theplunger.

4. A threshold strip for doors comprising a casing adapted to be mountedon the door, a strip member movable vertically in the casing, a plungeradapted to be actuated by contact `with a portion of the door frame forprojecting thestrip member into engagement with the threshold of thedoor, and pivotal connections between the strip member and plunger foractuating the former from the latter, said pivotal connections beingpivotally coupled at one end to the casing and to the plunger and attheir opposite ends to the strip member, the latter-named ends of thepivotal connections being'pivoted to the strip on one side oi' thetransverse center'of said strip.

5. A threshold strip for doors comprising a casing adapted to be mountedon the door, a strip .member movable vertically in the casing, a

plunger adapted to be actuated by contact with a portion of the doorframe for projectingv the strip member into engagement with thethreshold of the door, and angularly arranged links pivotally connectingthe strip member with the plunger for actuating the former from thelatter,

vsaid links being pivotally connected at one end with the casingiandplunger and at their opposite ends to the strip member, the pivotalconnections between the links and strip members being arranged at oneside `of the transverse center of the latter to forml fulcrums on whichthe strip member may tilt vertically on said pivotal connections toaccommodate itself to variations from the horizontal of the threshold ofthe door.

6. A threshold strip for doors comprising a casing, a strip verticallymovable in said casing, a plunger mounted for longitudinal movement inthe casing and adapted to be actuated by contact with a part of the doorframe to projectthe strip into engagement with the threshold of thedoor, and links of triangular form pivoted at the corners of their basaledges to the casing and to the plunger respectively -and at theirvertices to the strip for transmitting motion to the former from thelatter, the latter-named ends of the links being pivoted to the strip onone side of the transverse center of the .strip to adapt the strip totilt vertically on said pivots to accommodate itself to variations fromthe horizontal of the threshold of the door. WILLIAM B. BAILEY.

